The conventional chocolate composition contains sucrose as a sweetener. The essential components of chocolate are cocoa nib, i.e. the roasted cocoa bean with shell and germ removed, sugar and cocoa butter. Cocoa nib is approximately 55% cocoa butter, the balance being proteins, carbohydrates, tannins, acids etc. The cocoa butter content of the chocolate controls its setting characteristics and largely governs its cost. Different types of chocolate are obtained by varying the ratio of cocoa nib to sugar. The amount of cocoa butter varies according to its application; bitter sweet chocolate has a ratio of nib to sugar of 2:1 while sweet chocolate has a ratio of 1:2.
Nowadays there is a strong interest in reducing the amount of calories contained in chocolate. Two approaches are taken, a reduction of the amount of butter (fat) and/or a reduction of the amount of sugar. The amount of sugar calories is reduced by replacing sucrose with polyols such as maltitol, lactitol, sorbitol, xylitol and erythritol. This replacement often has a double advantage in that not only there is a calorie reduction but also some of the polyols are non-cariogenic.
Finally sucrose is perceived as being too sweet resulting in the masking of the typical chocolate taste replacement of sucrose with a less sweet product such as polyols enhances the chocolate taste. Erythritol is further used for its cooling effect.
British Patent GB 1,274,356 discloses a process for producing a partially solidified sugar syrup which comprises the addition of a fine particulate reducing sugar to a syrup saturated or supersaturated with reducing sugar and allowing the syrup to set. Spray dried dextrose is mentioned as one of the possible seeding crystals. The sugar syrup obtained is suitable for general domestic use in much the same way as a jam or honey.
United States Patent U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,105 relates to the finding that the incorporation of minor amounts of hydroxylated lecithin within a chocolate product used for the coating of edible confectionery or bakery products largely reduces moisture loss.
European patent application EP 0 511 761 relates to a new sweetening composition comprising erythritol, sorbitol and a glucose oligomer of DE 10 to 30 and which is suitable as an instant pie filling or a bakery cream. The glucose oligomer may be in spray dried form.
British Patent GB 1,341,963 relates to edible compositions comprising a dry, powdery mixture which can be mixed with water, milk or another liquid, to give an "instant" dessert of the sorbet or ice cream type. Spray dried dextrose is mentioned as one of the components of the composition.
Investigations have also been performed to replace (part of the) sucrose in certain applications with dextrose. It was found that dextrose monohydrate could not be used in the chocolate production process due to the vapour development at high conching temperatures German Patent application DE 1,083,636 discloses the addition of dextrosehydrate after the conching step. Anhydrous dextrose, that is dried dextrose, is much to expensive for application in chocolate.